SoCal City Drafts Compromise on RV Parking

August 30, 2007 by Sherman GoldenbergComments Off on SoCal City Drafts Compromise on RV Parking

A Southern California community is hoping new legislation will help moderate a 30-year-old battle over RV and trailer parking, according to a report in the Long Beach Press-Telegram.
Hoping to satiate neighbors on both sides of the issue, Lakewood city leaders introduced this week more than a dozen proposals that regulate recreational vehicle and trailer parking, especially on private property.
The new rules, which take effect in late October if the council approves the recommendations on Sept. 25, relax existing rules for RV and trailer parking on private property and take into account about 10 lot configurations that apply to about 90% of Lakewood homes.
Many of the new laws now allow residents to park at least one RV or trailer on their property, provided that it does not block public right-of-way or encroach into another person’s property.
The council also allows residents to keep small commercial vehicles and trailers on their property when used for employment.
The council expanded the number of days RVs and trailers can park on the street from 48 to 52 and shortened the gap between permits from three days to one. This will go into effect on Oct. 1.
The council also established a permit process that gives consideration to residents who need their RVs because of a life-threatening medical condition or because the RV serves as the main form of transportation. (This permit would be reviewed every six months.)
Many of the 120 or so residents who filled the upstairs ballroom at this week’s meeting were against the recommendations, maintaining the proposals are too relaxed.
“I can’t understand why the city is making efforts to accommodate the minority at the expense of the majority,” said Bill McLaren, a resident since 1982.
Those who want to park their RVs close to home say the recommendations are too restrictive. Some said they are unable to meet a 16-foot setback requirement for a compact parking space.
The decision capped nearly two years of debate in the community over how to solve the problem.